Nesting-stacking carrier having hinged side walls

ABSTRACT

The carrier side walls are hinged along their bottom edges to the side edges of the floor member. The side edges of the side walls are separated one from another, whereby the walls can be rotated about their bottom hinge joint between a vertical stacking position and an outwardly slanted nesting position. Disengagable locking means are provided to rigidly lock the walls in the stacking position. Means are also provided for limiting the outward rotation of the side walls to that of the nesting position. The carrier can be built with solid walls and is adapted to provide the vertical walls needed for stacking and the slanted walls needed for deep nesting.

[ July 22, 1975 United States Patent 1191 Drader NESTlNG-STACKING CARRIER HAVING Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ernest Peter Johnson HINGED SIDE WALLS ABSTRACT [22] Filed:

The carrier side walls are hinged along their bottom edges to the side edges of the floor member. The side edges of the side walls are separated one from an- 211 Appl. No.2 331,000

other, whereby thewails can be rotated about their 52 us. 206/506; 206/517 n 51 Int. 865d 21/06 b0 hmge 1mm between meal smkmg tion and an outwardly slanted nesting position. Disengagable locking means are provided to rigidly lock the walls in the stacking position. Means are also provided [58] Field of Search........... 220/97 E; 206/505, 506,

for limiting the outward rotation of the side walls to [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS that of the nesting position. The carrier can be built with solid walls and is adapted to provide the vertical walls needed for stacking and the slanted walls needed for deep nesting.

220/97 E 220/97 E Armstrong 220/97 E 2,598,320 5/1952 2,783,915 3/l957 Gordon..... 3,403,808 10/1968 1 Claim, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUL 2 2 ms SHEET NESTING-STACKING CARRIER HAVING I-IINGED SIDE WALLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a nesting-stacking carrier. The carrier is box-like in form and can be used to transport milk containers and the like. When loaded, a number of the carriers can be stacked one on top of another to form a column. When empty, they can be nested one in another to minimize the amount of space which they take up.

Heretofore a nesting-stacking carrier usually comprised a box-like skeleton framework formed of spaced metal rod wires welded together. The side wall wires were fashioned in an inverted V-shaped pattern; this arrangement permitted the carriers to nest deeply in one another, even though the sides were only slightly inwardly slanted. The carriers, when stacked with the aid of stacking bars, formed stable columns. These columns could be tightly crowded together with little space wasted between them.

There has been a recent trend toward packaging liquids, such as milk, in plastic film pouches or containers. The rod wire carriers are unsatisfactory for this new purpose, as the pouches protrude through the large openings in the carriers walls; as a result, they can be easily punctured.

At the present time, the pouches are usually conveyed in rigid plastic baskets having vertical, solid walls, which are incapable of being nested when empty.

In my co-pending application Ser. No. 199,540, filed Nov. 17, 1971, I describe a carrier having solid or weblike side walls which are joined only at the upper ends of their side edges. A slit or separation is therefore formed at each corner line of the carrier. The carrier is also provided with a movable floor, which is slidably connected with the side walls. When the floor is moved down, it draws the side walls in to a vertical stacking position; when it is moved up, it releases the lower sections of the side walls so that they can bend outwardly to an upwardly tapered nesting position.

In the present case, I describe a carrier which also utilizes the concept of separating the side walls of the carrier along their side edges, so that the walls can be shifted between vertical and slanted positions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing background in mind, it is an object of this invention to provide a box-like carrier having walls which can be rotated from a substantially vertical stacking position, in which the walls are disengagably locked together to form a solid unit, to an inwardly slanted nesting position, in which the walls are constrained against further outward rotation.

It is another object to provide such a carrier having constraining means which are rigid and hold the side walls fixed relative to each other.

It is another object to provide a carrier having handle means for quickly locking the means holding the walls in the stacking position, so they can be shifted to the nesting position.

In accordance with the invention, a carrier is provided having upstanding side walls which are hinged or pivotally joined along their bottom edge portions to the side edge portions of the horizontal floor member. The side walls are separated one from another along their side edges. They are therefore free to rotate outwardly about their bottom joint. First means, associated with the side walls, are provided for disengagably locking together each adjacent pair of walls in the substantially vertical stacking position. Second means, also associated with the side walls, are provided for limiting the extent of outward rotation of the unlocked walls to that of the nesting position.

The new carrier is characterized by several advantages. It can have solid or web-like walls and therefore is adapted to convey plastic film containers. Its walls are substantially vertically positioned in the stacking position, thereby ensuring stability of a stack of the carriers and minimizing waste space. When the carrier is empty, its walls can be shifted to a tapered position for deep nesting and attendant space-saving. The disengagable metal rod locking and limiting means described hereinbelow ensure that the structure is reasonably rigid in both the stacking and nesting positions.

DESCRIPTION" OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the carrier in the stacking position, showing some parts in shadow lines;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier of FIG. 1 in the nesting position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of several of the carriers of FIG. 1 forming a stack some of the parts have been omitted to simplify the drawing;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the carriers of FIG. 3 in the nested position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one upper corner of the carrier showing the latch and catch means in shadow lines;

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a portion of the latch means in the unlocked position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 6 showing the latch means in the locked position.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an alternative locking arrangement;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the carrier in the stacking position, showing some parts in shadow lines;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the carrier of FIG. 9 in the nesting position;

FIG. 11 is a side view, partly in section, showing one corner of the carrier of FIG. 9 in the stacking position; and

FIG. 12 is a view',.'similar to that of FIG. 11, showing the carrier corner in the nesting position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a carrier 1 is shown comprising a floor member 2 and four side wall members 3. The floor and side wall members 2, 3 are each rectangular in shape and combine together to form an open-topped box. In the embodiment shown, they are formed of solid, rigid plastic material.

The side wall members 3 are separated from one another along their side edges; however, each of them is joined along its bottom edge portion to a side edge portion of the floor member 2 by a rotatable joint or hinge 4. Each side wall member 3 can therefore rotate from the vertical stacking position, shown in FIG. 1, to the outwardly slanted or downwardly tapered nesting position shown in FIG. 2.

Usually the side walls are vertical in the stacking position and disposed at an angle of 10 12 fromvertical in the nesting position. However, the walls could be slightly slanted in the stacking position and the angle of slant increased for the nesting position to achieve the desired depth of nesting. V

A guide plate 5 is attached to each side wall member 3 along its upper edge. The plate 5 has spaced upper and lower horizontal grooves 6, 6a and a vertical groove 6b formed in its inner face at each of its ends, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The vertical grooves 6b connect the outer ends of the grooves 6a with the grooves 6'.'Th e innerends of the grooves 6a terminate at a handle opening 15 extending through both the side wall member 3 and attached guide plate .5. The outer surface-of each wall member 3 and the grooves 6, 6a and 6a combine to define passages 6, 6a and 6b.

An elongate, rod'-like,-rigid member 7 connects each pair of adjacent side wall members 3. The rigid member 7 is bent to form two arms 7a disposed at 90 to each other. The arms 7a are inserted in the. passages 6, as shown in FIGS. 2, 6, 7, 11 and 12, and are slidable therein between the nesting and stacking positions. More particularly, in the stacking position shown in FIG. 1, the arms 7a are fully inserted into the passages 6; in the stacking position shown in FIG. 2, the arms 70 of each member 7 are partially withdrawn and bridge the gap between the side edges of the adjacent wall members 3 which it connects.

Each wall member 3 carries catch means associated with each passage 6. Each arm 7a carries latch means which,'when the arm 7a is fully inserted in the cooperating passage 6,releasably engage the catch means to lock the associated wall member in the stacking position, and, w.hen-the arm 7a is partially withdrawn, en-

gage the catch-means to limit the outward rotation of the associated wall member to that of the nesting position.

More particularly, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the latch means comprises a hook formed at the end of the arm 7a, and a notch 11, formed in the underside of the arm 7a intermediate its ends. The catch means comprises the pin extending transversely of the passage 6. In the stacking position, the notch 1 1 drops over the pin 10 to lock the arm 7a in-the fully inserted state. In the nesting position, the

hook 9 abuts the pin 10 to prevent further withdrawal of the arm 7a from the passage 6. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, wall member 3 carries two spaced pins 10, 10a for engagement with the hooks 11a, 9 respectively in the stacking and nesting positions.

In both embodiments, handle means 12 are provided for manually disengaging the latch and catch means when they are locked together in the stacking position. Such handle means 12 comprise a horizontal bar 13, positioned in the passages 6a and extending across the opening 15, and a pair of vertical posts 14, positioned in the passages 6b and adapted to be inserted part way into the passage 6. When the bar 15 is grasped and 'pulled'upwardly, the post 14 raises the arms 7a, thereby disengaging the notch 11 and pin 10 and freeing the arm 70 so that the wall may be shifted to the nesting po- In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 12, the inner end 30 of the arm '31 is doubled back to providea shoulder 32. The wall member 33 carries a pin 34 which protrudes partway across the passage 35.

When the arm 31 is withdrawn part way out of the passage 35, its movement is'arrested at the nesting position by the shoulder 32 contacting the pin 34. The handle 36 is combined with a leaf spring 37, which normally urges it upward. As illustrated in FIG. 12, when the wall member 33 is in the stacking position, the doubledback end 30 rides on the vertical post 38 of the handle 36; when the arm 31 is pushed inwardly, the doubledback end 30 moves past the post 38 which is immediately driven up by the spring 37, thereby locking the arm 31 in the stacking position. To disengage the post 38 and end 30, the handle 36 is depressed against the spring 37 until the post 38 is lowered far enough to permit the doubled-back end 30 to ride over it as the arm FIG. 3. The carriers 1, la can thus be stacked one on top of another to form a column. More particularly, each side wall member 3 is formed with an outwardly flared portion 17 at its bottom end. The shoulder 18, defined by this flared portion 17, seats on the top perimeter surface 16. The floor member 2 is formed with a downward projecting portion 2a, sized to fit snugly within the upper perimeter edge of carrier 1a. The shoulder defined by the projecting portion 2a engages the inner surface of the side wall 3'and prevents lateral movement of the carrier 1.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 10, the edges of the floor member 39 are formed with outwardly protruding castellations 40. Cavities 41, having shoulders 42, are cut into the inner faces of the wall members 33. In the stacking position, the castellations 40 seat on the upper rim of the next following carrier; in the nesting position, they enter the cavities 41 and abut against the shoulders 42, thereby limiting the downward penetration of one carrier in another so that they are not difficult to separate.

From the foregoing, it is seen that a variety of means are available for rigidly and disengagably locking the side wall members in the stacking position. Similarly, flexible plastic webbing could be used to connect the side wall members 3 along their side edges and thus limit the outward'rotation of the side wall members. Flexible plastic webbing could also be used to provide the necessary hinge connecting each side wall to the floor member. It is to be understood, therefore, that the scope of the invention is not to be limited to any one of the specific embodiments described, but, instead, is set out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A nesting-stacking carrier comprising:

a bottom floor member;

upstanding side wall members hingedly attached alo n their lower edges to the floor member so that they can be rotated between a substantially vertical stacking position and an outwardly slanted nesting position;

each said side wall member forming handle and armreceiving passages;

a plurality of rigid right-angle members, one such a handle member horizontally positioned in the bandle-receiving passage and having upwardly turned end portions, said handle member being shiftable upwardly in said passage;

each side wall member defining an opening through which its handle member extends whereby it may be grasped;

spring means, carried by each side wall member in the handle-receiving passage, for normally urging the handle member upwardly so that its end portions contact the adjacent arms and abut the locking shoulders thereof, thereby locking the side wall members in the stacking position;

each said side wall member carrying catch means adapted, when the handle member is pressed downwardly to release the arms so that the side wall member may be shifted outwardly, to contact the adjacent locking shoulder to limit the outward rotation of the wall members to the nesting position. 

1. A nesting-stacking carrier comprising: a bottom floor member; upstanding side wall members hingedly attached along their lower edges to the floor member so that they can be rotated between a substantially vertical stacking position and an outwardly slanted nesting position; each said side wall member forming handle and arm-receiving passages; a plurality of rigid right-angle members, one such member connecting each pair of adjacent side wall members at the upper corners thereof, each said right-angle member comprising a pair of arms which are horizontally slidable into the arm-receiving passages; as the side wall members are shifted from the nesting to the stacking position, each said arm having a locking shoulder formed thereon; a handle member horizontally positioned in the handle-receiving passage and having upwardly turned end portions, said handle member being shiftable upwardly in said passage; each side wall member defining an opening through which its handle member extends whereby it may be grasped; spring means, carried by each side wall member in the handlereceiving passage, for normally urging the handle member upwardly so that its end portions contact the adjacent arms and abut the locking shoulders thereof, thereby locking the side wall members in the stacking position; each said side wall member carrying catch means adapted, when the handle member is pressed downwardly to release the arms so that the side wall member may be shifted outwardly, to contact the adjacent locking shoulder to limit the outward rotation of the wall members to the nesting position. 